Lost City of the Incas

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The past 4 days on the Classic Inca Trail were some of the best I've ever had and the lost city of the Incas, named Machu Picchu after its mountain, is a wonder to behold. The Inca Trail was tough in parts with a couple of high passes (over 4000m), a lot of steps to climb, and going down hill on the 3rd day was tricky in the rain.

We visited lots of Inca ruins and sites along the way, the history of which is fascinating. The scenery was amazing hiking through valleys and rainforest. Arriving at Machu Picchu itself was the ultimate reward after 4 days hiking (absolutely spectacular), definitely one of the best travel experiences I've had to-date.

The weather was great for the first 2 days, the second of which was Saint Patrick's Day, so I was climbing with my tricolour flag draped around me, which was kindly gifted by an Aussie friend (Pete). Being part of the group to reach the highest point on the Inca Trail called the Dead Woman's Pass was a jubilant feeling.

People don't realise there are many thousand kilometres of Inca Trail and hundreds of Inca ruin sites, like around Sacred Valley. Machu Picchu is just the most famous and the most visited. It was really great to learn the history of the other ruins along the trail in the build-up to Machu Picchu.

Truly amazing, spectacular - probably the best hike I've ever done and one of the greatest sites I've ever visited. The pictures and postcards don't do it justice - but looking down on Machu Picchu from above and then walking around the ruins is totally awesome. We're already making plans to return to Cusco !!

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